Improved grain-scourim apparatus



N. PETERS. PHOTO-UTHDGHAPHER, WASHINGTON. D c.

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' Leim Patent No. 76,486, 'dared apra 7,1868.

IMPROVED GRAIN-SGOURING APPARATUS.

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To ALL WHOM 1T MAY CONCERN:

Be itknown that 1', P. H. MA-SSEY, of South Bend, in the county of St. Joseph, and State of Indianarhavo invented certain new and nsefuliImprovem'ents in Grain-Securing and Cleaning Apparatus for Mills; and do hereby declare that th following. is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had' to the accompanying drawingsfmaking part of this specication, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, like letters indicating like parts wherever they occur.l I

To enable others skilled inthe art to construct and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

My .invention consists in a novel construction of an apparatus, to be used, in connection with the burrs of a'grinding-'milk'for scouring and cleaning wheat and similangrains, and that is alsoadapted `for feeding mid-vl dlings to the stones for regrinding.

.Figure 1 represents a vertical section of my'improved apparatus, and

Figures 2, 3, and 4 represent certain details, shown detached.k

I construct a platform or frame, A, on which a fan, B, is mounted, in a suitable case, surmounted by a chamber, C, from thertop ofwhich a spout, E, extends down through the platform` to or near the eye of the fstone, as represented in tig. 1. Within the chamber C is placed an inclinedpartition, b, which extends nearly across the chamber, the upper end ofthe partition stopping a'short distance from the spout E, and thus leaving an opening, c, for the air to pass from the upper part of the chamber downI into the fan-case,through a central opening in the top of the case, where a slide, a, is placed, to regulate the size of the opening in the case, and thus regulate the draught or force of the current generated by the fan B. VThe upper end of the partition b projects slightly under the upper end of the spout E, so that the particles of chaii', oats, and other material drawn up the spout E, as they pass over the upper end of the spout, and are projected into the chamber, will fall upon the partition, and be accumulated at its lower end, in the upper part of the chamber, where they can he removed, when necessary, through an opening, closed by nl swinging valve erdoor, d. From the platform A, a spout, T, extends down to the eye of thestone, and over this spout is placed a table, F, on which is mounted a hopper, H. To the under side of the table F are secured two cleats, u, grooved, so as to permit a slide to be held therein, this slide having a hole in it, with a tube, c, extending downward a short distance, as represented in lign-1, Centrally within the spout T is secured avtube or socket, jin-,directly under the tube 11, and in this socket is placed another tube, m, having acircular plate or disk, '0, attached to its upper end, the tube or socket p being secured in place by arms, and serving to support the disk o and the shaft L of the scouring-device, which shaft is provided with a flat-sided conical head at its lower end, to t in a hole in the disk o, and permits its ready removal therefrom when desired. Upon this shaft k, I secure rigidly a series of plates or disks, n, having their upper surfaces roughened by punching holes through' from their 'opposite sides, these plates .being secured.

tolthe shaft z, preferably,'in inclined positions, as represented. These disks n are made slightly less in diameter than the vertical portion ofthe hopper, so that the grain may gradually work down pastthem, and finally' strike upon the revolving disk o, and from thenceupon the inclined partition z' in spout T. Asleeve, Z, like that shown in lig. 3, surrounds the tube v, and is pivoted to a bifurcated lever, L, which latter is pivoted to a standard, lc, on platform A, theouter end of the lever boing held iii-place by a catch, I, engaging in notches in a plate, r, secured to the standard O, as represented in'ig. 1, or by any similar means. By raising or lowering the sleeve [,by means of the leverL, the feeding of thegrain from the hopper upon the disk o may be regulated as desired.

The operation of the apparatus, when'thus arranged, is as follows: The wheat being placed in the hopper H, is thoroughly rubbed and scoured by the revolving disks n as it passes from one to another, thereby crushing and grinding or breaking-up the kernels of smut, and detaching all adhering particles of chaff, de., ns it works gradually down to the bottom of the hopper, from whence it falls upon the revolving disk o, by whichit is thrown outward, and falls upon the inclined partition z', from whence itpasses, through the opening e, into the spout E, where it encounters the upward current of air, which separates and carries up with it all dust, smut, chaff, oats,

i and other material lighter than the wheat itself, thehe'av'ier portion of this light material being caught 'upon the partition b, while the lighter and finer particles of smut and dust are drawn with the air into the fan, and discharged from thence through a spout or opening, in thc usual manner.

and the removable tubes v and o', for the purpose as herein described.

When it is desired to use the apparatus for feeding corn or middlings to the stones, the scourer is removed, and also the sleeve Z and the tubew, the former being replaced by the shaft It', fig. 2, the tube v', iig. 4, being substituted for tube 11, and the sleeve Z, tig. 3, for sleeve Z. The partition iin spout H is also removed, it being made in two parts to facilitate itsremoval,A When thus arranged, tbe corn or middlings are placed in the hopper H, and are then fed to the stones through the spout T, the chaff and dust from tbe corn being drawn through the opening e into tbe spout E, and conveyed away, as before. AWhen feeding middlings; the slide a of the fancase will be closed, to prevent the material from being drawn up tbe spout E, or the belt g may be thrown olf.

from the pulley on the fan-shaft f, and the feeding part of the apparatus be run without the fab.

By this construction, I am enabled to produce an apparatus that operates in a most satisfactory manner, and that is adapted to a great variety of uses,.ir'\ connection with the grinding-stones of an ordinary louring-mill.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is H 1. The couibinationot' the hopper` H,`shaft h, provided with the scouring-disks n, spout E, chamber C, with tbeinclined partition b, and fan B, when said parts are constructed and arranged for joint operation, substantially as'described. i p V 4 2. The use,'in the apparatus constructed sullvstantiallyV as described, of the detachable inclined bottom z',

P. H. MASSEY,

Witnesses:

N. H. WHITTEMORE, M. RmNHAnDT. 

